ENERGIZER SENIOR TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP

November 7, 1998

Jay Sigel

JAY SIGEL: Obviously the weather improved and my golf did, also. I think they are a little related. It still wasn't easy today. But I went back to my -- some of the basic things that I need to do in my golf swing. In the checklist, I think I found one and hit the ball very solidly today. Really very much on line. And I had pretty good control, and I'm certainly pleased about that.

JAY SIGEL: The first three holes were routines. Just to comment on the 2nd hole, I hit a -- I had 177 yards to the hole, and I hit a very hard 4-iron and just got to the front of the green. That's how long it was playing early on. 4, I hit a pretty good drive around the bunkers out in the fairway. I had about two -- 230 to the hole, and I hit a 5-wood in there about 12 or 13 feet behind the hole and made that putt, obviously. The next the par 3, I hit a 5-iron about three feet, made that. And 6, I hit a driver and an 8-iron about, oh, 14 feet, made that. So that's 4-under. And then I parred 6. 7, almost birdied it. 7, I hit a wedge in about three feet, made that. 9, I had a chance and I didn't make that. 10, par. 11, par. 12, I 3-putted from 25 feet in -- just a few feet off the green. Birdied 13 from about two-and-a-half feet.

JAY SIGEL: I hit a wedge. Parred 14. Birdied 15 from four feet, five feet.

JAY SIGEL: Wedge. And then 16 routine, 17 routine, 18 routine.

JAY SIGEL: Well, it just -- there were times -- I think the wind died a little bit as the day went on. I think earlier on it was tough. Just an indication on that 2nd hole, what I hit. I mean, I was shocked. And Hugh Baiocchi came up short. But the ball just doesn't travel very far in this cold weather.

JAY SIGEL: Well, sort of, yeah. I think that's a good way to put it. I mean, the golf course is so difficult. You've got to get your game back before you can -- I mean, the visualization of those things is important. But hitting the shots and making the putts, at least getting some momentum is really the key.

JAY SIGEL: The first two holes are incredibly difficult. Yesterday I hit a 5-wood to one. I didn't hit my drive real well. I hit a 5-iron yesterday to two. It was a driver and a 5-iron and I hit both of those very well.

JAY SIGEL: Oh, yeah. I mean, Bob's round was remarkable. I notice he bogeyed the 1st hole. It was good to come back. And he did, certainly. The first two holes are really tough. And 6 and 7, 9, very difficult.

JAY SIGEL: I don't know. I can see Gil and Hale up there. Jim Albus has played well before. Jim's a high ball hitter. High ball hitter. You can't roll the ball here. You've got to carry it. I don't know who else is in there. Jim Dent is pretty much a high ball hitter. And I'm a high ball hitter.

JAY SIGEL: Raymond's very high. He gets his putter going. And obviously he's putted well the first few days.

JAY SIGEL: No. I'm just going to try -- I try to be more aggressive -- yesterday, not playing well, I was. And the day before, of course, the conditions were so tough. I really wasn't sure what I was doing. I was just trying to get it on the green. You get a par and get onto the next hole. All the holes are so difficult. Today I tried to be more aggressive. And that paid off. I mean, looking at the flags and trying to make the putts. And, you know, I think the weather had something to do with that. I think the fact that I was hitting the ball a little better had something to do with that.

JAY SIGEL: Well, think I do, yeah. I think I had just a little too much twist in my swing, and that doesn't work for me.

JAY SIGEL: That's a good question.

JAY SIGEL: Off the tee, I'm probably hitting the ball 250, 255, 260, maybe. If I'm a 278 or 279 -- let's say 275, so, yeah, 20, 25 yards.

JAY SIGEL: Well, you start there. But I think it's more off the driver. I think that, you know, a 3-iron I'll hit, I'll hit 205, 210, and here we're hitting it. Well, on the 2nd hole I could have hit it 177 yards. So maybe in that case, it's similar. Maybe it's 10 percent, as I think about it. I mean, my wedges are going about 10 percent less. The drivers are 10 percent less. The 3-irons were 10 percent less. So maybe 10 percent, I don't know.

JAY SIGEL: You say more prayers. You've got your fingers crossed. More creative, yeah. You've got to miss it in the right spot. You've got to scramble. I've seen some great scrambling this week from some of the players. If you look at greens in regulation, you'll see they are way down, way down.